Ex-U.S. airman convicted of child molestation in South Korea, Japan

SEOUL, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- A former U.S. airman was convicted of molesting teenage boys in South Korea and Japan and sentenced to a 15-year prison term, according to a U.S. Air Force court document.

The USAF court found the senior airman guilty of molesting two South Korean orphan boys and possessing child pornography.

He was discharged dishonorably and sentenced to 15 years in prison. He was also reduced to a lower rank and stripped of pension benefits.

Yonhap News reported the airman had sexually abused two teenage boys while he was stationed at a U.S. Air Force base in Kunsan, 150 miles south of Seoul. He met them at an orphanage during volunteer work between 2012 and 2013.

Authorities said he transferred to a U.S. Air Base in Okinawa in 2013. There, officials said he was caught molesting a teenage boy in 2014 and the U.S. Air Force began investigating the case.

The probe revealed that he had sexually abused boys and possessed child pornography. Officials said he offered money and gifts in exchange for their silence.

In the document, written by the U.S. Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals, the former airman appealed the court decision in January and said he received an "inappropriate sentence" and was mistreated during post-trial confinement.